Reflections of an Alamo Colleges trustee

The Alamo Colleges has come a long way in the past few years, but communication is still the weakest link.

That’s the opinion of Charles Conner, who stepped down from the board of the Alamo Colleges last month to retire to Padre Island with his wife, Bonnie.

This week, Conner, 73, reflected on his seven-year tenure on the board, including recent criticism from faculty and staff of Bruce Leslie, the district’s chancellor. Trustees appointed Blakely Fernandez, a local lawyer, to replace Conner until the next election in May.

Though Conner strongly backs Leslie, he said the chancellor probably erred in taking major decisions directly to trustees without informing faculty and administrators at each of the district’s five campuses.

“Communication is probably the weakest link that we have had,” said Conner.

In 2008, Leslie pitched ideas to the board of trustees for a new administration building at the old Playland Park site, an ambitious project that would cost an estimated $116 million.

Ideas included powering the complex with solar or wind power, allowing shops and eateries to rent out space on the ground floor and putting in a restaurant, spa and dental clinic for Alamo Colleges students to practice their skills on walk-in customers.

But Leslie did not first run those ideas by faculty members, who were irate when they saw the $116 million price tag. Leslie also failed to produce an in-depth study of the district’s needs, which trustees needed to properly evaluate the ideas, Conner said.

“You can’t just jump out like we did,” Conner said. “There was nothing to base anything on.”

A needs study is now in progress, but Leslie has not come forward with a revised proposal, Conner said.

A few months after the Playland Park proposal, Leslie recommended to trustees that the district change its name, dropping the word “community” and simply going with Alamo Colleges. He also proposed adopting a common logo for all five colleges.

The suggestions came from a marketing firm the district hired to revamp its image, and trustees voted to make the changes.

But again, faculty and staff at each college were not informed until after the vote, which they vehemently protested.

Conner said he does not believe faculty would have supported the name and logo change, even if they had been told. Nonetheless, Leslie should have “brought them into the conversation,” Conner said.

The furor over those proposals helped turn the tide against Leslie, culminating in a vote of no confidence by faculty in September.

Though Conner admits missteps, he said faculty share blame for the turmoil.

“The truth is we can improve, but communications are two way,” Conner said. “(Faculty) are not yielding to anything or giving in to anything, they are just throwing mud.”

Though both sides appear entrenched in their positions, Conner said time will cool anger.

“(Faculty) are not going to come in and say, ‘We screwed up,’ but (anger) will slowly go away,” Conner said. “Leslie will be held in disdain by some, but I think he will stay until he is ready to retire.”

Conner said he is proud of his service on the board, including the completion of a $450 million bond project, crafting a strategic plan and hiring an internal auditor to put the district on sound financial footing.

When Conner joined the board in 2002, the majority of the board was corrupt, on the take from an architect bent on winning a building contract.

“Today, I can tell you this is the only board I know of that do not have personal agendas,” Conner said. “They are concerned about educating the community.”